Mother's Day Craft's

Handprint Poem

This is a gift for an adult to make with a young
child. It's a poem with a handprint and an
optional photo of the baby/preschooler.

This project is rated EASY to do.

What You Need:

• Small child in play clothing.
• Print out of handprint poem (make extra
  copies).
• Optional small photo of child.
• Water based paints - finger paints or
  tempera paints.
  
• Bowl or something to hold the paint.
• Brush or sponge to apply paint to child's
  hand.
  
• Paper towels or some other way to do a
  quick cleanup!
  

How To Make It:

Here's the poem for you to copy, format and print
in your favorite word processor, or you can print
out this version:

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls
But every day I'm growing --
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away

So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small

Put a date here
Love, put child's name here

What to do:

Print the poem (make extra copies).
Apply the paint to the child's hand, then press
their hand to the paper near the poem. This
might take several attempts to get a good print,
patience is the key. Clean that little hand,
before you get handprinted, too! Personalize
with the date and name (if it isn't already).
Let dry, then glue on a photo, if desired.

Decorated Soap

From Jeannie Beecroft's Book: Pressed Flower
Projects Using Microfleur

You need:

• Soap
• Pressed Flowers and Leaves (shown with
  Phlox and Carrot Tops)
  
• Decoupage Solution
• Brush

Instructions:

Press flowers traditionally or with the
Microwave Flower Press.

Using a paint brush, give the soap 4 or 5 coats
of gloss sealer on the side to be decorated,
allowing to dry between coats. This will help
the soap from discoloring the flowers.

When dry, give the soap another coat of sealer
and position the flowers on the soap. Make sure
there are no air bubbles under the flowers.
While it is still wet, paint another coat of
sealer on top. When dry give another 3 coats of
sealer allowing to dry between coats. These
final coats will help the design to stay on the
soap during use.